


Nine Times Out Of Ten

by Everyday_Im_Preaching



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkward Ryder, Background Character Death, F/M, Kissing, Minor Character Death implied, Romance, Ryder is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 22:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10603788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everyday_Im_Preaching/pseuds/Everyday_Im_Preaching
Summary: Shuttle mangled and broken, the two of them trapped beneath a rocky overhang--Ryder learns that sometimes, a plane crash could be timely.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I love this ship, but I'm still working on my characterization! I hope you enjoy!

Ryder lived in a world—no, a _galaxy—_ where nine times out of ten, there was an obvious, universal constant. _Nothing ever went according to plan._ Her eyes studied the cracks in the rocky ceiling above her, watching droplets of water slip between the cracks and drip on to the stone beside her. Evfra was laying on his stomach, muttering and grunting to himself; he was obviously frustrated, judging by the force he used to beat on his damaged transmitter.

“You can keep hitting it, but it's not going to work.” Ryder told him, too tired for any mirth to bleed into her words. Evfra let out a frustrated snarl and smacked at the transmitter again for good measure, before turning his head and glaring at the human beside him.

“If your pilot hadn't been so incapable, then our shuttle wouldn't have crashed and trapped us here in the first place.” The leader groused. “And to imagine that I'm trapped with _you,_ an alien of all people.” Ryder shrugged at his gruff tone, letting it roll off of her shoulders.

Earlier that morning, the shuttle they'd taken to Havarl had been caught in a nasty storm. It had wrenched the controls from the pilots hands, and despite her best effort, the ship had spiraled out of control and straight into a conveniently inconvenient rock formation; Ryder and Evfra had came out of the wreck as famously as they could, only sporting an assortment of bruises and minor lacerations. That didn't change the fact that the mangled ship was conveniently wedged into the mouth of the cave, with barely any room on the sides to let light in.

“Best not dishonour the dead, Evfra; humans have an entire slew of movies that involve them coming back and tearing off your face.” The angaran flinched visibly at the suggestion. “With their _teeth._ ”

“Absolutely barbaric.”

“I know. Pretty great, isn't it?” Ryder mused, fiddling with her folded fingers. Worry was settling in her gut, a small voice in the back of her mind reminding her that they didn't have enough food or water to survive out there for long, and it'd take days of hard labour to even make a dent in the twisted metal. “You know what else would be great? If it wasn't raining. Or cold.” The rain never seemed to end on Havarl, and with the vault reset, the chillier of the seasons had descended on the typically tropical planet with voracious hunger.

“You complain too much.” Evfra snapped back at  her. “You aren't going to die because of a little bit or rain.”

“If I did, it wouldn't be any sweat off of your back anyway, huh?” Ryder took a moment to stretch her arms above her head, kicking her feet against the stone beneath them. She regret every single moment she'd teased SAM; she could really use a friendly voice right now—and possibly a way out of this shitty situation.

Evfra let out an angry huff, shaking his head and peering at the crumpled ship—it looked about as recognisable as a piece of wadded paper; there was no fire, anymore, due to the downpour outside. Tilting her head, she thought she could see the remnants of sparks inside the cockpit, playing along the thing rivulets of water that were slipping down the mashed dashboard.

“Don't act like I want you dead. The thought's only crossed my mind once.” Ryder let out a snort, rolling on her side to face the resistance leader. The poor lighting of overhang-turned-cave slid across his scarred features, dipping into the long scars that travelled down his face.

“Twice. Admit it, you've wanted me dead at _least_ twice.”

“Shut up, Ryder.” Evfra growled. He let a couple moments of empty air pass between them before he sighed. “Maybe twice.” Ryder let out a full-blown laugh this time, slapping her hand against stone. He rolled his eyes and tried his transmitter again. “Is your AI not working?” Ryder's grin fell into a grim line.

“Yeah. Can't get SAM online for shit.” Ryder replied, mouth going numb at the idea of never hearing the AI's voice again. A yawn escaped her as she stretched again, rolling over on to her belly—a cool breeze weaseled it's way into her suit, getting her to shudder. “I think the enviro-modulator on this thing is busted. That breeze is blowing right through me.”

“You humans are built to break, I swear.” he muttered at her, shifting on the stone. “How do you survive?” Ryder cocked an eyebrow at him, before laying her face on her folded arms—cold metal bit into her cheeks, but she resigned herself to it. She closed her eyes and let out a dramatic, hopeless sigh. “That suit is made primarily of metal, correct? It's not going to do much good keeping you warm without it's modulator.”

“Are you trying to get me naked, Tershaav?” Ryder teased, cracking an eye open to look at him. He was looking away from her, eyes focused on the remnant of their shuttle.

“I assume you're wearing _something_ under that suit.” he replied. “I'm only suggesting you remove it because it is doing nothing for you but chilling you further.” Ryder let out a groan, kicking her legs.

“Ugh, I mean, you have a point but...” she paused. She was wearing a thin tee underneath, with long arms for extra comfort and a pair of thin, light leggings that were overstretched and worn from her constant expeditions. “I'm not exactly wearing clothes for _company_ under this.” Evfra rose an eye-ridge in question. “Okay, fine. You obviously don't care. Whatever.”

Struggling to sit up in the narrow space, she went about removing her armor—it fell off into sectioned pieces. Whether she liked it or not, she could feel the angaran watching her strip herself of the cold metal. Ryder shuddered as another breeze tickled her skin, but without the presence of the armour she _did_ feel mildly warmer.

“Better?” Evfra asked, watching her kick the armour a short distance away from her. She drew her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it for a moment before nodding.

“I think so. Still cold though.” She brought her arms up and tucked her hands into her armpits; as she went to lay back down, warm hands pressed against her shoulders. Ryder opened her mouth to ask the angaran _exactly_ what he thought he was doing. She was interrupted by the weight of a heavy scarf being wrapped around her shoulders and throat, warming the skin it touched instantly.

“That should warm you substantially.” Evfra told her, pinching and pulling it here and there until it settled for optimal warmth. “Since you deem it fit to keep _whining._ ” Ryder took a deep breath, inhaling the sharp scent that was Evfra. She couldn't quite place it, but it had her burying her face deeper into it. Evfra let out a soft grunt as he watched her, and after a moment she tilted her head so she could smile at him.

“Thank you. I really mean it. I might have become a pathfinding popsicle otherwise.” Ryder buried her fingers into the soft material, gathering it between them and squeezing. “How do you keep this so soft?”

“I wash it.” Evfra replied. Ryder rolled on to her side and curled her feet beneath her, humming happily. “We should get some rest; give our bruises and cuts time to heal.” Ryder nodded, eyes peeking at the resistance leader curiously.

“Sleep? Here?” Ryder asked, dumbfounded. “I can't just sleep on hard rock, Evfra.”

“You are _spoiled.”_

“And proud of it.” Ryder cried out loudly, causing her voice to echo around them. “Come on, I have died _three_ times. I spend my time being shot at, beaten, yelled at—I think I deserve a nice bed.”

“You are spoiled and you whine like a child.” Evfra told her simply. The human sniffed indignantly, rolling away from him. “You throw tantrums like one too.”

Ryder refused to acknowledge him, flexing her toes and scraping them against the chilly stone. She was warmer, yes, but not warm _enough_ to fall asleep like the alien suggested. After a moment of restless shifting, she deemed it an impossible feat--

A thick arm laid itself over her, and Ryder nearly screamed out of fear. A small squeak was all that escaped her as she felt a warm, clothed chest press against her back. Evrfra shushed her harshly, pressing the bottom of his chin to the top of her head. Ryder froze in the loose grip of the angaran, waiting for some snide snippet or tease at her reaction, but got nothing.

Ryder had to admit that _this_ was better. Her stomach was still slightly chilly, but the rest of her was easily warmed by the large, muscled body curling around her. His breath was steady, even, and brushed the back of her head gently with each one. Evfra didn't move, didn't stir, but just _lay_ there.

“Is this to get me to stop complaining?” Ryder asked; Evfra grunted at her, waiting a few moments before he gave his answer. His voice sounded careful, words thought out, perhaps ran over a few times in his head to make sure he got them out correctly.

“You are cold. I am not because of my naturally high body temperature—humans require  their surrounding to be between sixty to sixty seven degrees before they can sleep, correct? And you're no good to me if you're tired.” his breath ghosted her collarbone now, and she thought she could hear the curious huffing in of breath, like the angaran was drinking in her smell. “We've got to assume that no one is coming for us—which means that our only way out of this forsaken place is through that entrance.”

“You sure are a chipper one.” Ryder commented dryly. “You really don't think that they're just going to write us off as dead, do you? That's a pretty shitty thing to do--”

“--Tann would jump at the chance.”

“Okay, disregarding the moody Salarian. Drack won't believe that I just keeled over. And what about you? You're the head of the resistance. I mean, the Moshae would send _someone_ to at least confirm that you were dead.” Ryder tried to argue.

“We are lucky to be _alive,_ let alone in the state that we are in. Once they see the crashed shuttle, they'll reconsider our chances of survival.” His hand, which had settled on her shoulder, moved down to rest lightly on her hip. Ryder pretended to ignore it.

“Again. You're such an optimist. It's absolutely inspiring how much hope you have stored in that big ass chest of yours.” Ryder told him, voice heavy with sarcasm. “Just a ball of iridescent sunshine.”

“Go to sleep, Ryder.”

“Oh no. We need to talk about how utterly _positive_ you are. Come on, let's talk about.” A hand gripped her jaw, tugging it up; lips pressed against hers, silently commanding her to _shut the fuck up._ Evfra's lips tingled against hers, sharply spiking across them and pulling a soft gasp from her. The angara let out a soft breath against her lips, the hand on her jaw moving to grasp at her hair, tugging her face into an angle that was more suited for kissing.

Ryder let out a confused whimper, letting her head be guided. She had to be _dense._ She hadn't noticed any sort of tension between them,  short of the typical irritation that Evfra typically showed in her presence. Ryder had assumed that his atypical excitement and bristling was due to the situation they were in.

“So you _were_ trying to get me naked.” Was all she could say, trying not to gasp in air when the angaran pulled away. Evfra snorted at her, running his gloved fingers through her hair and tousling it. “I...I”m not entirely sure where we go from here.” This earned her another snort.

“Well I'd like to say your reaction wasn't expected. You're so innocent. Naive.” he trailed his fingers along the underside of her jaw, and her pulse spiked beneath them. “You're an odd sort of creature—every hurdle that the universe present, you overcome, no matter the difficulty. That's commendable. And attractive.”

“Oh. I mean, wow. Thanks for the compliment. You're pretty hot—I mean, attractive yourself. Once you get past the jerk.” she attempted; judging by the frown that settled on Evfra's face, she'd failed to impress. “Look, I can get shit done, but that's about where my capabilities stop. But I'm up for, you know, us. Or you know, whatever that kiss suggested.”

Evfra studied her for a moment, eyes searching her face, tracing the hard line of her jaw, focusing on the soft of her cheeks. He seemed to be analysing her with every sweep. Eventually, he cupped her jaw, tilting it up to look her in the eye.

“Actions speak louder than words, Ryder.” Evfra told her; his fingers were burning hot against her skin, and she swallowed dryly. There was a shift in the metal at the front of the cave, catching both Evfra and Ryder's attention. “It looks like our cavalry has come. You were right—your friends are stubborn.” he lifted his hand to pet at her cheek, rubbing his thumb across it. “When we're freed of this place, I'd like to discuss a beneficial partnership between the two of us. One where we can be more open.” Ryder felt his knee jostle against her belly; if she thought her throat was dry before, it couldn't compare to the sandstorm raging through it now.

Ryder's throat worked against her as she tried to get some sort of affirmation out. Evfra shook his head at her, lips twitching into a grin. He scrambled up the small incline that they were lying on, crouching low so as not to hit his head on the ceiling.

“We are in here—Ryder and I survived, however, we're not sure about our pilot.” Evfra announced to their rescuers. Pleased shouts responded to his words, followed by a more frantic digging at the metal. Evfra turned his attention back to Ryder, a mischievous grin playing across his features. “You should redress in your armour. Just in case we're ambushed on our way back.” Ryder narrowed her eyes at the angaran, picking up her helmet and tossing it at him. He rolled away from it with ease. “And you should probably give me back my scarf.”

“This is my _trophy._  For  _surviving._ ” Ryder told him, mildly hurt. “Good luck getting it back, you rotten punk. It is _officially_ a part of my wardrobe.” she fiddled with the soft cloth, before clutching it tight to her. “Blue looks better on me anyway.” A loose growl erupted from the angaran.

Ryder pressed the cloth against her nose once again, taking a deep breath. Ryder lived in a brand new galaxy, where nine times out of ten, nothing went as planned. Evfra's hand stretched towards her, fingers twitching lightly as an invite. Slipping her fingers into his, she beamed at him—Ryder was rewarded with a noise of obvious disgust.

Plans weren't her style anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Want to stay updated? Click [here](http://everyday-im-preaching.tumblr.com/) to stay in the know!


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